Flirting Doesn't Come a Long Way
by azn dreamer xD
Summary: AU. Naughty Ulrich goes for the gorgeous, mysterious Yumi for fun. What will happen when Fate and Destiny take them on a little ride in a crazy Love Tunnel? [not literally] Tutoring, cross country, a secret plan, a false identity. Who knows what else? UxY
1. Chapter 1

**Flirting Doesn't Come A Long Way  
****  
By aZn dREAmEr xD**

**A/N: May be OOC. … Okay, it is pretty much OOC. However, I will try to have some of the regular characters' traits, so yeah. But OOCness is mucho fun haha. xD**

**I'm experimenting, and this time the story really IS T. For safety and stuff.**

**I thought trying this out would be fun, so PLEASE don't get all surprised and shocked and OO. **

**Okay, just a warning that this story will be different from other stories I've wrote. Credits to Like. Yaynstuff for help of the title.**

**Read and review and enjoy! R&R&E. **

-

He was the school heartthrob: the hottest, the naughtiest, the most athletic, the strongest...

He was what every girl wanted- maybe some boys too, but yes, that is unneeded information.

She was the gorgeous girl: pretty, hot, athletic, smart, strong, somewhat goth, somewhat emo, and somewhat closed up and private.

No one ever expected it would happen- it was such an outlandish couple. But what Fate and Destiny decides is beyond anyone's control.

Especially theirs.

-

He strutted down the hallway, the usual look of confidence plastered on his face.

Stares burned his back as he continued to walk down the hallway. He barely noticed.

He slung his forest green backpack lazily over his shoulder as he turned his head around to grin flirtatiously at two passing girls and wink.

As expected, they swooned and giggled. So predictable. They stared at his retreating form along with a several groups of girls, whispering about his body features.

Preps..

His white Etnies pounded the ground lightly as he stared at his schedule, and then at the locker numbers.

Spending the entire summer flirting in gyms and beaches had completely brainwashed his memory of the school since ninth grade.

He wore khakis, a necklace with about seven white and brown beads, and a white Hollister button-down shirt with the sleeves carelessly rolled up to his elbows. The shirt was only buttoned 3 quarters of the way up, revealing his tan, muscular chest.

"Ahha!" he muttered to himself, finding his locker. He stared at his combination: 36-6-27

However, he did remember how to open a locker. He opened one almost every day at the gym in the summer.

He opened it swiftly, smirking to himself as his locker buddies, who failed to open their locker, whipped their head around, and stared at him enviously, as he casually began to place books into his locker.

This would be a fun year.

-

Meanwhile, on the other side of the school, she walked down the hallway. She had a look of casualty on her face, as if she didn't really care. And she didn't- much. Unlike her pink/burgundy-haired best friend, she didn't have insane butterflies in her stomach.

Her shoulder-length black hair was full of volume, flowing a little as she walked. Her eyes gleamed a mischievous dark brown.

She ignored the stares and whispers. She was accustomed to them, but felt fidgety under some guys' gazes. She hated it when they whispered about her body features. They whispered loudly as if they wanted her to hear them talking obnoxiously about her.

She walked a bit faster, her black backpack loosely on her shoulder.

She wore fading dark-blue, almost black, holey jeans, a loose choker with black and white beads, and a plain, tight black T-shirt. Her black Pumas completed the outfit.

She whipped out her already crumpled schedule from her jeans pocket and looked for her locker number.

She didn't have to look for another minute when she spotted her locker number: 770.

She sighed with relief, and quickly glanced at her combination. 10-16-34

She opened the locker with ease, earning envious glares at her unfortunate locker mates. She didn't take the time to observe her locker buddies, but one of them took the time to observe her.

"Heyy," a tall, muscular brunette guy greeted her, grinning flirtatiously. He closed the locker with his arm as he continued to grin.

She looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. "Do I know you?" she questioned, adding a bored tone to her voice for added effect. She could do that. She could be a pretty good actress when she applied herself.

She put up some locker decorations, and unloaded her backpack into her locker, arranging the books neatly.

"You should," he sniggered. He held out his hand to her. "Ulrich Stern," He decided not to add unnecessary details he thought about himself. She didn't seem like the type.

She responded by rolling her eyes. "Never heard of you."

Ulrich ignored the comment, and continued smoothly, in a silky voice. "So… what's your name?"

She couldn't help but laugh at him, as she got out some of the books she thought she would need for the next class. "Yumi Ishiyama." she answered. Though she had stopped laughing, her voice was still full of laughter.

He glared at her. "What's so funny?"

"You sound so stupid." she shook her head, a tiny smile on her face. "Look, the bell's going to ring soon. See you around."

She slammed her locker shut, and disappeared into the crowd of frantic students.

Ulrich ran his hand through his hair, looking at the spot where she just was. Why wasn't she flirting with him? Whispering about him? Staring, at least? Every girl did.

But, as Ulrich soon realized, this Yumi Ishiyama just wasn't every girl. She was different. She was mysterious, and not giggly and stupid like those other girls he encountered every day.

And he wanted her.

Hmm. She would be his latest project. He would get her to like him.

Just like every other girl.

-  
**  
A/N: No, this rating will NOT get higher. Nooo. It will stay in T-rating. **

**Definitely. This story seems so fun to write, I just HAD to put it up. So, um, yeah, read and review and enjoy!**

**-jENN**


	2. Chapter 2

**Flirting Doesn't Come a Long Way****;; Chapter 2**

**By azn DREAMER xD  
**

**A/N: Woo-hoo! Another chapter! I had a lot of it done a long time ago, so it didn't take this long this time. Plus, this story is so much easier to write. So many ideas. xP  
**

-

Yumi held out her crumpled schedule in front of her again. She glanced at the classrooms, trying to figure out which one was her first period class.

"Finally! Room 123." She mumbled to herself, opening the door and letting herself in.

She was greeted by a cold glare from her new teacher, and stares from her classmates. She quickly scanned the room, and found her best friend sitting in the back row. There was an empty seat right next to her.

She smiled sweetly and said in the most sickeningly sweet voice she could muster, "I'm sorry I'm late."

The glare from the wizened teacher continued, as she opened her dry, chapped lips to speak. "Sit down. Now."

Yumi shrugged carelessly and made her way to the back of the room to sit next to her best friend.

"Stop."

Yumi halted, daring herself to look back and stare at the teacher in the eye. She tightened her grip on her books.

"Sit in the front."

Yumi abruptly walked to the front of the classroom, finding the only front row seat dab-smack in the middle of the classroom. She reluctantly sat down on the cold chair, and placed her books in the corner of her desk.

She was the cream in the Oreo cookie. Great.

She felt fidgety as she felt intense gazes from two geeks sitting next to her, practically drooling at the sight of her and her body.

Shuddering, she took out her notebook, and began to copy what was on the board, trying to ignore the nerd behind her who was also staring at her.

Ew.

"It's time for roll call." The teacher announced in a monotonous voice. She went down the never-ending list of students. By the time she got to the poor Japanese girl's name, the girl was almost snoring.

"Yumi Ishiyama." the teacher boomed.

Silence.

"I said, YUMI ISHIYAMA!"

"Wha-whah? Oh! Present!" Yumi slowly pulled her head back up.

"I told you to say 'here'." The teacher snapped.

"O-oh… um… here?"

"Why do students always seem to have question marks at the end of their sentences!" the teacher growled. "Thirty years of teaching! THIRTY! Have you any idea how tired I am of hearing this! Say it with a period at the end, will you?" the last question was more of a demand than a question. There was practically a lightening cloud over her head.

"HERE." Yumi said loudly.

"Thank you." the teacher snapped, writing a few notes on the paper.

She continued down the list of students, and was soon finished. "You there!" she pointed to a girl sitting in the front row. "Bring this to the office."

She thrust the attendance sheet into the girl's trembling hands, and the girl rushed off, whimpering slightly.

"My name is Mrs. Pempsico." The teacher did not smile. She continued in a somewhat dead tone. "I do not like to talk about myself. And no, I would not like to hear about your happy-filled summers like other teachers. A nice first day of school should consist of wonderful, strict learning."

The students groaned.

"SILENCE!"

For an old lady, she sure was loud.

_I bet her husband left her or something, _Yumi thought, smirking. Seriously, who wanted a wife like that? And if he didn't leave her, he probably wanted to.

The class continued with a few actually sleeping, and one snoring. Yumi wished she was in the back row so she could snooze. But, no such luck, as always. Literature wasn't her best subjects.

Mrs. Pempisco talked for the rest of the period, but Yumi's mind was elsewhere. She was thinking about her encounter with this... Ulrich Stern. Well, what else was there to think about in such a boring classroom? It wasn't like she really WANTED to think about him. ... She just wanted to muster up questions to ask other people. Yup, that's _exactly_ why she's thinking about him.

_He is pretty cute... _she thought. She inwardly swatted herself.

_Great, now even my brain decieves me... _she sighed somberly.

The bell finally rang. Yumi dashed out, and waited at the door for Aelita.

Aelita came out, her white, knee-length skirt swinging back and forth. She wore a pink cami with a few flowers and hearts on the bottom.

"GOD, is she boring…" Yumi yawned. She pulled out her schedule. Chemistry with Mrs. Lihtash. What were with these weird (not to mention retarded) names?

"Mm… she was okay," Aelita grinned as her best friend stared at her with disbelief, "Of course, I DID sleep through the entire thing."

"Lucky bi-"

"Nuh-uh, no bad language!" Aelita sang, smirking.

Yumi glowered at her, then sighed. No point trying to argue with Aelita. Aelita was a complete genius. Well, not like GENIUSGENIUS, but she was definitely smart. She excelled at mostly any subject. P.E., not as much. Yumi was also really smart, and aced just about every subject- including P.E.

They compared schedules, finding that they had the same class.

"Like my new pink highlights?" Aelita grinned, flipping her hair playfully.

"Pink? Bleh." Yumi rolled her eyes. "Natural is good."

"That's because natural looks good on you!" Aelita retorted. "I look horrible in my burgundy hair. I need something to... SPICE myself up! You're... already spiced up, I guess."

"Haha, thanks?"

"No problem." Aelita stifled a yawn, then grinned at her best friend. "I can't believe I was so nervous about the first day of school yesterday... I'm already onto the phase where I can't stop yawning!"

Yumi laughed, smiling. A few moments passed as the two girls were swept up in a few thoughts, not really minding the silence before them. Then Yumi broke it, asking Aelita a question. She needed to know more.

"Hey Aelita, do you know who Ulrich Stern is...?"

"**THE** ULRICH STERN?" Aelita yelped. "You don't know him!" She looked as if Yumi didn't know who the ruler of the universe (if there were one) was. Her voice showed that she thought of him as a god. Eugh. Looks like Ulrich had groupies..

"Uhh."

"Where have you BEEN?" Aelita cried. "He's the hottest guy in school! How can you NOT know him? He moved here last year, but EVERYONE knows him..."

"Haha. Sure." Yumi rolled her eyes.

"He's definitely the naughtiest," Aelita began to count off her fingers. "Probably the most athletic... and ah, that six-pack, oh my g-"

"Okay, yeah, you can shut up now." Yumi smirked as Aelita swatted Yumi with her binder.

"Why do you ask? Was he hitting on you?" Aelita questioned curiously.

"Yeppp..." Yumi ran her hair through her fingers, while trying to hold up all her heavy books with one arm. "What a perverted jerk."

"Lucky. I wish he would hit on-"

"Hey Aelita!" a blonde boy sauntered over to the red-head. Speaking of hitting on... He fixed his glasses in a clumsy little way, smiling. "How are you?"

Aelita flashed her best friend a look of desperation. Yumi only grinned. Some things never changed. Last year, Jeremie came up to her on one of their walks to a classroom and started talking, blushing, to Aelita. He hadn't changed very much. His hair had gotten blonder, which was strange since he was a genius, he had grown taller, but was still taller than Aelita, and he had grown just a tad bit cuter in that cute, lovable nerd way.

"Oh, umm... hello Jeremie..." Aelita chuckled nervously. It was hard having a nerd who liked you. Jeremie was a nice guy, but... eh.

"Aelita, where are you going to next?" he asked her, blushing in a nerdy kind of way. Yumi held back from the "couple" and sighed. She felt a gaze staring at her sideways. She glanced to the left and found Herve, his eyes glued on her. As soon as she started looking back, he gasped and stared forward.

_Another geek_, Yumi thought, sighing. This one was WORSE than Jeremie. Jeremie wasn't ugly, just... nerdish and smart. Herve, on the other hand, was ugly. Very, VERY ugly. He had popping, flaming red zits; big, bulky, black, thick glasses; messy, dirty black hair; and definitely a _horrible _fashion sense. He was worse than his friend, Jeremie. Definitely.

Yumi caught up with Aelita when Jeremie finally left her and turned to some _very _High Honor classroom. Herve followed him.

"Wow, that boy can talk!" Aelita moaned. "He's nice though. Nice. But nerdy."

"Aw, Aelita, don't give him a hard time!" Yumi giggled as Aelita gave her best friend a hard stare.

"_You _should be happy. _You_ have the right to be happy! **THE** Ulrich Stern wants you!"

"For fun, Aelita. He's another one of those perverted, lecherous idiots who only do this for their own stupid amusement. Besides, I could care less. I will NOT be played with."

"... Yes, but he still wants you! I never finished talking about his six-packs, you know..."

"... I'll punch you if you even go there."

"Fine, fine. I'm only backing out of this because you have a black belt."

As they kept on walking towards their next class, Yumi knew she had to gather more information about this Ulrich Stern. Without it, how was she ever going to survive this entire school year with him hitting on her?

-

Ulrich grinned malevolently, as he gazed at the spot where she had just been. He would get her. Of course he would.

He wasn't going to give up until she was at his feet. Literally.

He had the whole school year to get her. And ULRICH STERN got every girl he wanted. Always, forever and ever and e-

_RIIINNNGG!_

'Freaking bell...' Ulrich thought bitterly, 'Interrupted my thoughts.'

But of course, he had all first period to think.

He looked at his schedule and mused. "Room 101... Ms. Saivey's room..."

He blended into the crowd, glancing at the room numbers, trying to find his class. He had heard a lot about her from juniors and seniors. She sometimes could be harsh. She was fun, but harsh. How contradicting. Teachers were so confusing.

He eventually found the classroom. Ms. Saivey glared at him as he scanned the room for an empty seat. There was one right next to his best friend. Ulrich grinned. Good thing Ulrich told him to save him a seat, or else he'd have to sit next to the geeks... Ulrich shuddered.

He took a seat next to Odd, his best friend, suppressing a smirk. Odd grinned wholeheartedly back.

Ms. Saivey began the roll call, and gave everyone a homework assignment- on the first day.

Argh. She was as bad as everyone said...

She assigned an essay on what they did for summer vacation.

'What am I even freaking supposed to do?' Ulrich thought, shaking his head. 'That I flirted and made out with every hot girl at the beach? That I'm doing things that I shouldn't be doing? Like breaking girls' hearts when I'm bored or-'

"Ulrich!" Odd hissed. "Ulrich! Its your turn!"

"Wait- what?" Ulrich suddenly remembered- they were going in order, telling everyone something about themselves.

"Oh! Um, I'm Ulrich Stern." At the mention of his name, several girls turned their head to grin flirtatiously in his direction. "I do soccer, baseball, basketball, volleyball, swimming, lacrosse, running, tennis, and some football. But mostly soccer. I like going to the gym to work out." He didn't mention his OTHER favorite hobby.

"Very nice. Odd? What about you?"

"My name is Odd Della Robbia. Hm, I'm the funniest person alive."

"... Anything else, Mr. Della Robbia...?"

"Nope!"

"Fine then, what about you, Nina?"

And that was basically how first period went. The bell finally rang, and Ulrich stood up. He had spent the entire period thinking about Yumi and how to get her.

She was playing hard to get, and she knew it. Well, Ulrich would find a way around it. He smirked evilly.

Odd glanced at his best friend as he stood up and questioned, "Hey Ulrich... you got another girl target, hm?"

Odd wore blue baggy jeans and a lavender polo, with a popped collar, thin lime green, blue, and orange horizontal stripes scattered around on the fabric. Ulrich sometimes teased him about it, saying it resembled like his future jail uniform.

Ulrich laughed, rolling his eyes, "How did you know?"

"C'monnn. I know that look," Odd gave his best friend a knowing stare. "You have that smirk on your face again. And that little twinkle in your eyes. And your eye is twitching."

"IT IS NOT!" Ulrich glared, as he attempted to keep his eye from twitching. He held his eye open, but it only blinked, twitching again.

Odd laughed, pointing at him.

Ulrich punched his arm, and walked ahead.

Odd stuck his tongue at Ulrich's back and huffily caught up, clutching his hurting, bruised arm.

Odd walked next to Ulrich as they searched for their next class. "You know, Ulrich, you should just find a girl you really like... you should really stop breaking girl's hearts. Look at Emily!"

Ulrich stayed silent.

"I mean, you pretend to like her, she's all over you, one week, and then you dump her. Emily is probably still crying in the corner."

Ulrich still stayed silent.

"... Ulrich? Hello?"

Odd followed his gaze, and his eyes rested on a black-haired girl. She was walking ahead of them, so he could only see her back. She was skinny, tall, and had shoulder-length black hair. "And, I'm guessing that's her."

-

**A/N: It's a kind of stupid spot to stop, but I just wanted to end it there. This is still like 6 pages, and I originally had 9. I want to have a spot to begin for the next chapter, so… yeah. You are now assured there will be at least 3 pages to the next chapter :D  
**

**Review please!**

**--jenn**

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

**Flirting Doesn't Come a Long Way;;** **Chapter 3**

**By aZn DREAMER xD**

**A/N: ****This story will be mainly JxA, but there will be hints/large sections of OxA. I mean, OxA is cute too xD. Odd is probably either going to stay single or get someone else. But yes, hints of OxA will be found in the story.**

**-**

"Let me guess. That's your new toy?" Odd questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Ulrich shrugged. "Maybe."

"I take that as a yes."

"Okay, fine."

"Hah."

"But she's different. She's hot, but she's..." He wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion. "Rejecting me." Then his face changed back into his normal, confident state. "Of course, we only had one encounter. After this, she'll be kissing my feet."

"Gross. In case you've never noticed, your feet stink. Seriously, it's like you put them in the garbage, took them out, then rubbed them in dead fish." Odd thought for a moment. "ROTTED dead fish. That were in the sea! For a thousand years!" Odd smiled at his "well-said" statement.

"... Thanks, Odd."

"No problem, Ulrich!" Odd saluted.

"Chemistry: Mrs. Lihtash. Room 467..." Ulrich sighed, "That's on the other side of school."

"Let's go ask the girls where they're going, hm?" Odd grinned, jerking his head toward Yumi and her petite burgundy-haired friend.

When he finished his question, Ulrich was already halfway there to the girls.

Odd huffed again, and caught up to his best friend.

"Heyyy girls." Ulrich said smoothly, casually draping his arm around Yumi.

"HI ULRICH!" The burgundy-haired girl gushed. Yumi sweat-dropped as she shrugged off Ulrich's arm, only for him to immediately put it back up again.

She slapped his arm, which he reeled back with pain.

"You slap hard, **_Yumi._**" he emphasized her name. "I like girls who can handle themselves." He wiggled his eyebrows.

Yumi glared at him. "I hate guys with a bigger ego than the high school!"

Ulrich raised an eyebrow at her, and swiftly changed the subject. "So, who's your friend?"

"Aelita Stones." Yumi answered, in a hard tone.

Aelita giggled. "What class do you have next?" she asked nervously, in a not-attempted girly, high-pitched voice.

"Chemistry, Mrs. Lihtash."

"OHMYGOSH!" Aelita giggled again. Yumi stared at her best friend, blinking. Was this REALLY her best friend? She didn't usually act THAT preppy.

"Us too." Yumi said, dryly. "I can't wait."

"Yeah, me neither." Ulrich grinned naughtily at her.

Odd suddenly spoke up, after listening to the conversation for awhile. "Hey, I'm-"

"Odd..." Yumi whispered to Aelita.

"How'd you know?"

"That's your name? Really? I was talking about your hair..." Yumi said, puzzled and confused.

".. Well. No. That's my nickname. My real name is Maxamillian Rose Della Robbia."

"... Rose?" Ulrich burst out laughing. "You never told me that! And yet, you tell the girls, huh?"

Odd glared at Ulrich. "Ladies like men who are more open, right girls?"

The girls were too busy laughing to hear him.

"Oh right, more open." Ulrich joined in with the laughter.

"Well Rose was the name of my sister- if I ever had a sister, that is," Odd pondered. "My mommy said she originally wanted three kids, but after she had me, she changed her mind…"

"One isn't a handful, but one Odd is…" Ulrich rolled his eyes. "I don't blame your mother."

"Hmph." Odd huffed, "I'm sure she meant it in a good way. She wanted no other kids because she didn't want any other kids covering up the limelight for me."

The three teens that surrounded Odd couldn't control their laughter any longer. They burst out in loud hysterics.

"… What?" Odd glared at all three of them.

"Oh nothing, Maximilliannnn!" Aelita teased, punching his shoulder.

"Ow!" Odd glared at her. "The little cute girl is stronger than she looks."

Aelita flashed a sickeningly sweet angelic smile at him.

Yumi gazed at them, amused. It was like looking at Hiroki, her little brother, play with his friends.

She felt an arm wrap around her waist. She gasped as she was suddenly pulled closer to the brunette boy who had been silent for a little while.

A warm feeling shot up her spine, shoving any cold out of her body. She wanted to stay there, always being there in absolute peaceful, warm bliss. She closed her eyes, her lips curving up to a small smile.

"You like, hm?"

And with that silky, sly voice, she was suddenly dropped harshly back onto the cold ground.

"No!" Yumi shoved Ulrich out of her arms, making him fall onto the ground, staring at her in disbelief. "No, I do not! At all!"

"I'm stronger than I look, Ulrich Stern," she crossed her arms, smirking. She turned to Aelita, who was giggling uncontrollably at something Odd had said. "Aelita! Come on!"

She gave a death glare to Ulrich, then walked off with Aelita at her heel.

"She's a different one, isn't she, huh?" Odd stared off at the two girls.

"Oh, yeah." Ulrich clutched his head. "Yumi sure is different than those whores Emily and Sissy…"

"… I was talking about Aelita."

"Oh? So you like Aelita?"

"Of course not," Odd rolled his eyes. "She's cute, but I have my eyes on… Sam…"

Drool slowly ran down his chin as a pretty brunette haired girl with red streaks in her hair walked down the hallway clutching her books. And she was wearing- no wonder Odd liked her- purple. But it was a dark plum-purple tee with the words, "Don't Mess With Me", and jeans. And it was quite obvious that was Sam.

"Wipe your chin, man!" Ulrich slapped his forehead, grabbing Odd's shirt collar as Odd attempted to chase after her. "She's sort of goth. I didn't know you went for goth."

"I don't. But," he giggled even more girlishly than Aelita when she was gushing over Ulrich, "She's pretty."

"Blonde moment?" Ulrich sighed.

"Blonde moment."

-

"You liked it didn't you." Aelita grinned wildly.

"Liked what?" Yumi growled.

"Liked it when he put his arm around you. Ah, duh."

"I did not, you prep!"

Aelita rolled her eyes. "Pshhhh!" She thrust her hand upon her heart dramatically, placing her other hand on her forehead, letting out an obnoxious "Ahhhh!"

Yumi huffed, trying to contain herself from exploding. She eventually did, but her face was still all red. Aelita looked on with satisfaction.

Yumi took a breath, opened her mouth and hollered, "I! DO! NOT!"

"YES! YOU! DO!" Aelita yelled even louder.

"... Hmph." Yumi walked away. Aelita caught up to her best friend quickly. "C'mon, admit it, Yumi! I'm on your best friend! Besides, its not like its bad to like the bad boy, all the other girls do."

"I am not all the other girls, Ae." Yumi turned her head to glare at Aelita. "And I'm definitely not YOU, you stinking Ulrich-loving prep!"

"HMPH!" Aelita huffed. "Meanie butt."

**RIIIIING!**

"Oh fxck." Yumi groaned, running to find her classroom. "Teachers don't like it when you're late on the first dayyy!"

"Ah, DUH smart one!" Aelita replied, in a snappy mood.

"Heyyy again, ladies!" a voice came behind them.

"HEHHEHEE HI ULRICH!" Aelita was instantly snapped out of her pissy mood. "WHAT'S UP!"

"Losers." Yumi rolled her eyes, and found the classroom, rushing in, with Ulrich, Odd, and Aelita crashing into her back, making them all tumble through the door.

"Hello…" Mrs. Lihtash said in a cold voice. "You're late…"

"By five seconds…" Ulrich mumbled under his breath.

"What'd you say, mister?" she growled.

"Oh, nothing Mrs. Lihtash!" he responded with an angelic singsong voice.

"TAKE A SEAT!" she exploded.

They all hurried and got the only extra seats. There was 4 left. The desks were separated into groups of 2. Two were not occupied, the other two were far apart, next to outcasts.

Yumi hurried for the two empty desks that were together, and sat down quickly on the cold seat. She beckoned for Aelita to take the seat next to her. Aelita nodded and quickly walked to the seat.

Unfortunately, Ulrich's butt occupied the chair instead of Aelita's.

Aelita frowned and scanned the room. Odd had taken the seat next to a nerdy girl, and the only seat left was- Jeremie? Aelita sweat-dropped and took the seat next to a smiling Jeremie.

Yumi growled, hissing.

"Hey Yumi," he winked.

Girls around the classroom turned simultaneously to glare at Yumi.

Yumi narrowed her eyes and seethed, crossing her arms.

"Class, the person sitting next to you will be your lab partner," she paused. "For the entire year."

Most everyone had sat next to people they wanted to sit next to, so they all cheered. Odd had been paired with a nerdy, smart girl, so he was grinning. It was almost obvious he wouldn't have to do anything the entire year. Aelita probably wouldn't have to do anything that year either.

So, the only person who was extremely unhappy was, yup, you guessed it, Yumi Ishiyama. Ulrich smirked.

She gaped. "Mrs. Lihtash! May I please have another partner?"

In an instant, all the girls in the room raised their arms, waving it back and forth eagerly.

"No, you will be stuck with your lab partner with the entire year, and that's FINAL." Mrs. Lihtash answered firmly.

Mrs. Lihtash quickly did the roll call and sent it off for the office.

"We're not going to start anything today," Mrs. Lihtash announced, smiling to the children's cheers. "But I'm going to sort of give you an outline about what we're going to learn today."

She turned to the whiteboard, and took out a blue marker. "We're going to learn about ecosystems and bacteria and dissection and such. We're going to also have to dissect a frog. I know you did that in seventh, but it is required you do it 10th too."

The students shrieked, "Not again!"

"But I'm a vegetarian!" one called out.

Mrs. Lihtash made a face. "Me too, but school regulations."

Yumi groaned, burying her face into her arms.

Ulrich put his hand on his chin, grinning. "Y'know, you look really cute when you're mad."

_SMACK!_

"Oomph," Ulrich growled. "What did you want me to say? You look hideous when you're mad?"

Yumi huffed and turned her body around so she was sitting and looking at the teacher, trying to be unaware of the fact that Ulrich was staring at her and smirking.

She sighed. "Can't you look somewhere else?"

Ulrich switched his gaze from her face to another part of her body.

"Besides me?"

"Why?"

"Because it's annoying me. That's why."

Ulrich rolled his eyes. Any other girl would love for him to look at her? But nooo. Why'd he have to pick such a hard target this time?

Ulrich switched his gaze and looked at Odd, who was looking desperate to go somewhere else. The nerdy girl was talking his ear off.

He mouthed his best friend's name.

Odd looked back at Ulrich and mouthed, 'What?'

'Yumi is rejecting me still! I can't believe this!' Ulrich mouthed back, adding a bunch of confusing, infuriating hand motions.

"Mr. Stern? Is there something you'd like to share with the class, hm?" Mrs. Lihtash questioned, crossing her arms.

"No, Mrs. Lihtash." Ulrich grumbled.

Mrs. Lihtash nodded, in a solemn way. Then she turned back to talking to the class about what they were going to do this year, etc. etc.

Ulrich propped his head on his arm, looking through the corner of his eye at Yumi, who looked really smart copying down notes and such. Hm, he would copy from them later. He wasn't in the mood to pay attention to Mrs. Lihtash.

"I'm sorry, but tonight, you will have homework."

That woke him up. He growled. Yumi banged her head on her desk. Grumbles and groans sounded across the room.

"That you will do with your partner," she added quickly.

The sound minimized. Yumi turned her head to give a death glare to Ulrich. Ulrich gave a smile in return. Not a sly one, just… a regular smile. She felt a bit taken aback. For a moment, his smile was genuine.

Then it turned pure evil, the naughty and slyness creeping back into his sinister grin.

Yumi's eyes widened. What happened there? She quickly turned her head back to Mrs. Lihtash.

Ulrich groaned inwardly. He had to concentrate. He was practically almost transformed, but he wasn't used to this. To her. He had to remember everything now. '_Remember, remember, remember!' _he chanted in his mind. (1)

He focused back to Mrs. Lihtash who was still speaking. "All you have to do is research stuff about cell decay and bacteria."

The students groaned.

"C'mon, it's not going to be very hard anyway," Mrs. Lihtash sighed, "You're all in the same boarding school! You're all very close to each other, so it won't be a problem! I'm not going to count this as a homework assignment grade, but if you don't do it, you're going to get into trouble."

Ulrich sighed. He got into enough trouble last year. He didn't really mind it now. But since he had Yumi as his lab partner, he wouldn't have to do anything but still probably get an A.

Suh-weet.

The bell rang. "Class dismissed!" Mrs. Lihtash yelled over the noise. "Oh! I forgot! I was supposed to talk about the rules! Ah well, I'll do it tomorrow.." she slapped her head, indicating she was probably an unorganized, forgetful person. This would come to their advantage.

The students all rushed out, looking for their next class. Aelita came out with Jeremie right next to her, talking. Aelita pretended to smile and laugh and then walked off to find Yumi.

"Nice faking. It looked real." Yumi complimented her.

"… Thanks." Aelita looked a bit embarrassed.

"What happened?"

"Well, umm… I wasn't pretending…"

-

**(1)-** It sounds awkward and weird, but it's all part of the story; the plotline and everything.

**A/N: Of course, nothing against blondes in this chapter. And yeah, they all live in a boarding school. And yeah, again, stupid place to stop… but I felt like stopping. I still have to clean out my closet that's filled with junk of all kinds. Rawrness.**

**And yeah, the whole A/N, footnote thing belongs to Isabel, aka, ANGELforSHOW. I'm not going to use it that often, but it looks fun xP Go read her stories! Even if she's a big butthead to me :O**

**I already have much of the next chapter done. And I'm probablyyy going to update CL next.. Srsly, I'm on a huuge roll with that story now. The irony. Anyhoo, REVIEWW!**

**--jenn**


	4. Chapter 4

**Flirting Doesn't Come a Long Way;; Chapter 4**

**By azn DREAMER xD**

**A/N: Ohmygod, I'm seriously missing the whole idea I had before with this story. Okay, I'm going to cut a lot of the cr-p school classes so I can focus more on the other stuff. Rawr, this sucks.**

**This chapter is long enough, and hopefully it satisfies you. I'm sacrificing reading about the FASCINATINGG cells and hydrogen and whatnot to write this, and hopefully I won't fail my quiz hahaha. **

**Please read and review, it'll make me extremely happy!**

**-**

"WWHAAATTTT?"

Aelita winced.

"April Fools right? September Fools? You've GOT to be kidding me. Is this a joke? It better be!"

Aelita laughed nervously. "Umm… yes?"

"OH, thank GOD!"

"…" Aelita stayed silent, gazing off.

"If you actually meant YES, ohmygosh, I'd probably FAINT, why'd you do that Ae! … Ae? Aelita?"

Aelita snapped back to reality. "Huh? Huh, oh yes. Yeah. Ha-ha… good one, right?"

"Yeah! You definitely got me fooled!"

And the day went on and on, endless and boring, but yet somewhat exciting. Yumi and Ulrich had no more classes together except Gym, which was at the end of the day, the last period, since Yumi is ten times smarter than Ulrich in just about everything, but apparently not in Chemistry. Yumi and Aelita had practically every class together.

Nothing had really happened in Gym besides the part where the teachers blabbed on about the rules. And by the time they finished, ¾ of the class was over, so the students just played some basketball or sat in groups or ran around the gym.

Yumi and Aelita found a dark-haired girl playing basketball, so they decided to join her.

"Hey!" Yumi greeted. "Mind if we join you?"

"Nope, not at all." The girl smiled. "I'm Sam. You?"

"I'm Yumi, and she's Aelita."

"Oh cool."

"Mmhmm."

They played a small game of basketball, then just took turns shooting baskets, and finally, sat down, exhausted, just talking.

It was relaxing and nice, but unfortunately, every nice moment must be smashed.

By a horrible, off-key singing voice that got everyone covering their ears.

"BREAKBREAKBREAKDANCE! BREAKBREAKBREAKDANCEEE!"

"I know that voice…" Sam sighed.

Aelita turned to Sam, then glanced at Yumi. "It sounds oddly familiar.."

"Hiya ladies!" Odd grinned stupidly as he lay on the ground next to the three girls.

The three girls stared at him, rolled their eyes, and walked away.

"Mannn…" Ulrich groaned. "You need lessons. Big lessons."

"Hmph. Some people are just born with the natural flirting ability," Odd sighed enviously. "Like you! You never need lessons. You get every girl you've ever laid eyes on."

Ulrich cringed. Odd had been his best friend since he had moved here. But it wasn't time to reveal anything yet… "Except Yumi." He sighed. "Who I will definitely get soon." But now his voice had a rare edge of uncertainty… not-play-boyish- not-Ulrich-Sternish, anyway.

Odd looked at his friend curiously. He had never heard that uncertainty before… He shrugged it off. He knew everything about Ulrich by now, they had been best friends for more than a year, and that year was spent together most of the time, they were the best of buddies.

But of course, Odd didn't know there was an entire side to Ulrich…

"And I'll help!" Odd chimed in enthusiastically, ending his train of thought.

"… No thanks."

"Awww, come ON Ulrich, good buddy!"

"… Don't ever 'good buddy' me. And no."

"But-"

"No."

"A-"

"NO."

"How about if you pay me?"

''… NO!"

"I'll sing you a-"

"… Shut UP, Odd."

"Oh fine…"

-

Yumi went up to her room, somewhat relieved. The first day had been a little bit more eventful than she had thought.

Just then, her mobile vibrated in her pocket. She picked up."YUMI! YUMI!" the little bundle of 5-year old energy screamed over the phone. The first grader was ecstatic to talk to his big sister, apparently very eager to tell her about his very first day of school, and how amazingly wonderful it was… Great.

"YUMI!" he wailed. "I hate school!"

… Or not.

Yumi sighed and asked, "So, what's up, Ape? Why do you hate school so much? When you get to 10th, you'll really get it bad."

Hiroki thought. "Teacher nice."

"Uh-huh?"

"No friend!"

"Aww, that's okay, you'll find a friend."

"Where do I look?" he questioned.

She laughed again. "Don't worry, Ape-face. Keep looking. Everywhere."

"In the house?" he asked, worriedly. "Is there a friend in here?"

Yumi smiled. "You have your stuffed monkey."

"Mr. Zoo Pal!" he squealed. "He's a friend?"

"Definitely!" Yumi sighed with relief as he gave the phone to his mom to talk and supposedly ran off. Big sister duty: Done.

"Oh great…" she moaned. She had the Zoo Pals theme in her head. Stupid Nick Jr. She had to watch them all: Lazy Town, Wonderpets (the theme song was quite catching), Dora the Explorer, Backyardigans… ugh. They weren't so bad… but she much rather preferred something else..

(A/N: I watched most of them with my second cousins. Rawrrr. I had the Wonderpets theme song stuck in my head all day…)

"Hi honey! How was school?" her mom's voice came over the phone.

"Hi Mom. School was just peachy…"

"That's wonderful sweetie! He's suddenly very happy now… what happened?"

"Uhh, he found a friend!" Technically, she wasn't lying… he had Mr. Zoo Pal, the stuffed pink monkey that she had bought for him for his birthday. She thought the pink would aggravate him so she bought it, in hopes he would get annoyed.

But no. He was ecstatic to get a PINK monkey. In fact, when her father had brought him to the toy store to exchange for a blue monkey, he hated it. He preferred the pink. Wow.

Maybe it'd indicate he'd be good with the girls? Hopefully.

Yumi sighed as her mother exclaimed, "Oh really? That's great!"

"It sure is."

"Well, I have to go work now, I love you!"

"Right back at you."

"Bye!"

"Byee."

She hung up, and brought it with her as she rushed to her bouncy bed. She placed her cell phone on top of her dresser and flopped onto her bed, hugging her pillow.

So much had already happened on the first day.

As she closed her eyes, and her mind wandered off to the Shore of Sleep, she knew soon, much more was going to happen.

-

**One Month Later..**

… Okay, so not that much had happened in a month.

But it will!

And so it goes…

Ulrich pretty much treated her the same, unfortunately. In Chemistry, they had fights daily.

"I say, we make this huge collage," Yumi had started, "And then we'll do this awesome graphic stuff, and I'll try drawing some cute anime stuff to present it further-"

Ulrich rolled his eyes. "No way. Its sounds sort of girly."

Yumi gasped. "It is NOT!"

"I say we put these awesome soccer pictures on it." Ulrich grinned.

". . . ." Yumi looked like a fish as she gaped, then exploded. "WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THE PROJECT AT ALL?"

"NOTHING!" Ulrich beamed. "ISN'T IT GREAT?"

"NO!" SLAP.

And that was the last fight they had, as they "discussed" exactly how to present their project before they actually did work. All the other partners had finished, and had already begun to do research after that one month, but Yumi and Ulrich were still on the first drawing board. Plus, they were distracting everyone else.

For example… a sampling of conversations during Mrs. Lihtash's Chemistry Class:

"Wow…"

"They make SUCHHH a good couple! Squeal!"

"Uh, like, no they DON'T. Everyone knows I, Sissy, deserve Ulrich!"

"Um. You two were like, SOOO yesterdayyy!"

"…" Explosion.

"Yumi and Ulrich are so stupid, seriously."

"No, Yumi isn't. Ulrich is the retarded one."

"Well, at least Ulrich is hot, right?"

"YEAH!"

"But really. They are sooo cute together, like, ohmygod!"

"You prep."

"But like, REALLY!"

"Okay fine."

"HAHA YAYYY! **SQUEAL!"**

". . . You are SO stupid."

And that's only a sampling. Oh my.

Gosh.

So Mrs. Lihtash finally had enough and put Ulrich and Yumi with different people. Ulrich with Sissy, Yumi with William.

TAKE ONE: **DRAMA!**

**-**

Yumi scampered off to Mrs. Gahl's class, (AKA Mrs. Gack's class), deliriously happy that she was NOT Ulrich's partner anymore. William was way more cooperative.

She immediately began talking once everyone got seated, taking out their 5-lb textbooks.

The Pythagorean Theorem…

Hadn't she learned this in sixth grade? SIX YEARS AGO?

She sighed, as she wrote down all the answers in a fraction of a second, almost snoring.

At the end of the class, she happily gathered her books and rushed out the door, only to be interrupted of her happy parade.

"Ms. Yumi Ishiyama! Please come here."

"Coming, Mrs. Gac- uh! I mean, Mrs. Gahl." Yumi reluctantly walked back to her teacher's desk.

"Sit down, please."

Nervously, she did so.

"You've been doing exceptionally well, Ms. Ishiyama."

Yumi beamed. "Thank you."

"Which is why I'm going to ask you to be tutor to one of our… less-intelligent students, shall we say?"

"Is this… a paid job?"

"Ah, yes, I believe so."

"Oh, um, okay." She needed the money anyway.

Mrs. Gahl took a deep breath, and spoke. "I've heard problems with you two. But, you're one of the most intelligent here, and I've heard that you've tutored others in your past."

Yumi nodded. She had tutored Aelita, Milly, and Tamiya before. She had also tutored a few younger kids in her neighborhood.

"I want you to tutor Ulrich Stern."

"WHAT! NO!"

Mrs. Gahl felt her ears explode and bleed as she heard Yumi's loud voice tremble the entire school. "He is paying $20 a month to his tutor, I hope that changes your mind."

"… A FLIPPING TWENTYFIVE DOLLARS?" she shrieked. "PER HOUR!"

"No cursing, Ms. Ishiyama!" Mrs. Gahl scolded.

"That's not cur-" Yumi started, then stopped, deciding not to waste her breath. $25 an hour was definitely not shabby in her book. Besides, Aelita's birthday would be coming up soon, and she wanted to get her best friend a good present.

She took a deep breath, and answered.

"I'll do it."

-

"YOU SAID WHAAAT?"

"I said, your tutor is going to be Yumi Ishiyama." His father stated, reading from a post-it note. "Every Wednesday, 5-8 PM."

"Three hours?" Ulrich said incredulously. Three full hours with Yumi Ishiyama?

He smirked. This will be fun.

"Yes, three hours. You have a problem with that?" Mr. Stern said crossly. "I'll make it four if you don't cooperate."

FOUR hours with Yumi Ishiyama?

"Why not make it FIVE hours, Father?" Ulrich's sinister grin was stretched out all over his face. "I REALLY deserve it."

But the old man could see through his son's tricks. "Two hours, 30 minutes then."

Ulrich dropped his sinister smile, but nonetheless, was okay with that. Much could happen in two hours… and 30 minutes. "Okay."

Mr. Stern nodded, and waved Ulrich out of his office.   
**  
**Ulrich slouched out of his father's office, and grinned hugely.

Man, he could already imagine Yumi's face…

-

**Dx **

"Ae!" Yumi shrieked. "I can't freaking believe this!"

"Yes?" Aelita asked absentmindedly, as she mouthed the words to "Nothing in this World" by Paris Hilton on her pink iPod.

"Are you listening to that song AGAIN?" Yumi moaned.

"Yes."

"Paris Hilton is such a-a-a SLUT."

"Yesss."

"Why do you like that song?"

"Yes."

"… Aelita?"

"Yes?"

"AE!"

"Hm, yes?"

"Take off the freaking headphones!"

"All right, all right…" Aelita sighed. She sat criss-crossed apple-sauced on her pink bed. "What is it?"

"Well," Yumi began, her eyes blazing. "I have to be a tutor to that… that BAKA, Ulrich Stern!"

Aelita shrugged. "So?"

"What do you mean, SO?"

"Aren't you happy? I mean, everyone knows you are together, right?" Aelita flashed an innocent smile in Yumi's direction.

"NO!" Yumi blasted. "This is HORRIBLE! I am willing to kill myself!"

"YUMI, DON'T!" Aelita shrieked, grabbing Yumi by the hand and starting to violently shake it, "You better not, Yumi Ishiyama! If you do, I'll- I'll-!'

"Oh shut up, Stones…" Yumi rolled her eyes. "I won't, I won't. I was joking."

"That's what everyone says!" Aelita narrowed her eyes. "I'm keeping a close eye on you."

"You do that." Yumi flopped onto her bed. "Then again for the tutoring job, I need the money to get you an outrageously wonderful gift.."

"Aw!" Aelita grinned. "You got this," –COUGH- "horrible job just to get me a great gift for my birthday?"

"Yes. He's paying big bucks." Yumi paused. "What's today?"

"Wednesday, why?"

"OH FUDGE."

"Oh, you wanted some?" Aelita opened her closet to reveal a whole stash of chocolates. She popped a Kissable into her mouth and handed Yumi the pack. Yumi sighed, but took it anyway.

She opened her mouth wide, and positioned her head to the ceiling, then took the Kissable bag and dropped about half the bag of chocolates into her mouth.

"Mmm." She smiled. Aelita sighed. "You owe me. Anyway, what were you saying about fudge?"

"OH!" Yumi screamed again, glancing at the clock. 4:59 PM!

"FUDGEFREAKINGFUDGEANDWALNUTS!" Yumi shrieked, grabbing her coat and rushing out the door. "I HAVE ONE MINUTE TO GET TO STERN'S ROOM ON THE OTHER SIDE OF CAMPUS!"

Aelita watched her best friend run off, and shook her head. "I keep telling the girl to try out for Cross Country, but does she listen? Nooo.."

-

**A/N: I despise the ending. Its so random hahahha. I am so freaking hyperrr. I'm listening to music, and dreaming about the Spring field trip. ROLLERCOASTERSROLLERCOASTERS! Kingda Ka srsly has no match for me lmaooo. HEHEHE.**

**Yeah, I felt I needed to update this, so I did. I'll probably update something else like around the middle of October… as in, in a month. So much homework..**

**Please read and review!**

**--jenn**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5.  
It's FDCALW.**

**By Jenn.  
**

**A.N: Bah. I finished this 3 weeks ago. I started it 3 months ago.  
I am so, so dead on Fanfiction, it's not even fricken funny.**

And well, criticize as much as you need to, because, I already did my share on myself oo  
The beginning is pure crap. And you know it. Sorry, I didn't know how to fix it...  
... That, and I forgot. And I don't feel like working on some stupid writing essay,  
so i decided to post it.

Try to enjoy :)  


**-**

Yumi ran, her eyes averting to her big blue watch every few miliseconds. She was a perfectionist. She was never late. Never.

Five more seconds.

Yumi broke into a huge sprint, feeling her wild spirit being let loose. A few guys stopped in their tracks to stare at her and her body running so fast. She almost felt upset when she reached Ulrich's room, abruptly coming to a stop of her fast parade.

She checked her watch. Fifteen seconds late. She sighed, knocking the door.

"Who is it??" she heard Ulrich's voice yell.

"I don't know." Yumi crossed her arms as he opened the door, surprised.

"Oh, I thought you were Odd.." Ulrich shrugged. He looked down at his body, and then looked at her. He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. I would have worn a shirt if I knew you were coming."

Yeah, as if he weren't planning for days now.

Yumi smiled sweetly at him, though her eyes took on a rough edge. Her eyes stared at his face hardly, but her eyes continued to avert to his nicely tanned and muscled chest.

Plus, she couldn't help thinking how right Aelita was about his six packs.

She pushed past him, closing her eyes, and sat down on his bed, putting her backpack down on the floor. She pretended to rummage through her backpack, looking for something.

Ulrich closed the door, and walked leisurely to his closet, whistling. He threw on a T-shirt, and sat down on a chair, looking at Yumi. "Are you done yet?" he yawned. "Getting… whatever you're getting?"

Yumi removed her gaze from her backpack to Ulrich and glared. "No, of course not." Then ducked her head back into her backpack yet again.

Ulrich sighed, and repeatedly tapped his pencil onto his desk. He was tired of being naughty. He'd been at the act for a month, and she hadn't budged a muscle. He hadn't called him yet, so what was the point until he did so?

"Ugh Yumi!" Ulrich growled, grabbing the backpack away from her. He held it to his side, so Yumi was unable to reach it. She huffed.

Ulrich looked into her backpack. "You have nothing but a pencil case." Ulrich scoffed.

Yumi crossed her arms. "I was looking for a sharp pencil!"

"… They look freshly sharpened.."

"…. I'm looking for a dull pencil."

"Why?"

"B-because!"

"Yeah. Right. You know you can't resist me."

Yumi rolled her eyes. "That is SUCH a clichéd line now."

Ulrich sighed. "I know."

Then he slung an arm around his swirly chair and rested his head on it. Yumi couldn't help admiring how much he looked like a model on a name-brand store bag. That was meant to be a compliment.

"So, what are we doing now, tutor?" Ulrich's voice broke through her thoughts.

Yumi shrugged. "I don't know. What are you most stupid in?"

"Nothing."

"That means everything in Idiot Language, I presume."

"Hey! That's not very nice!"

"It's not very nice having no respect for women!" Yumi protested, crossing her arms. She uncrossed them and took a deep breath. "Okay, forget that. Did your father want you to do a particular subject?"

"He didn't tell me anything."

"Okay, fine, what are your grades?"

"Well…" Ulrich thought. "On my midterms, my grades were in the ranges of 60 and 70."

Yumi's mouth dropped. "And you can live with that?"

"Yeah, it's not as bad as the 48 I got last year.."

Yumi almost threw up. "FORTY EIGHT?"

"Yeah," Ulrich smiled proudly. "It's not that bad. It's an entire forty eight points from zero!"

"And also fifty two points from one hundred!" Yumi shook her head. "Whatever. We'll start on math first. Where's your math textbook?"

Ulrich rummaged through his messy desk then found it. He handed it over.

Yumi flipped through the pages. "Okay, where are you?"

"pg. 98."

Yumi found the right page. "Wow. You're only learning easy algebra."

Ulrich shrugged. "So?"

Yumi shrugged. "I don't know. My teacher said we're going to maybe learn pre-calculus soon… easy algebra is… seriously seventh grade."

Ulrich shrugged again. "Seventh graders are therefore cool if the Ulrich Stern is also learning their stuff."

Yumi rolled her eyes, and banged her head against the desk, frustrated. She took a deep breath, then began, "Okay. Give me your notebook."

Ulrich handed her his notebook. Yumi opened it to find the entire notebook completely blank.

"WHAT THE 'ELL?" Yumi gasped as she flipped through the pages violently. "There's nothing in here!"

"Yeah, I've been sleeping." Ulrich waved it off.

"Sleeping?" Yumi looked befuddled.

"During class."

"Ohh, okay…" Yumi breathed, thankful to have misunderstood. "Well, anyway…" she turned to a fresh page of notebook and wrote down neatly, "Algebra" in the margin.

"First of all.. you're only up to adding and subtracting…" Yumi yawned. "Okay well… 3 plus x equals 7… leave 'x' where it is, take 3 to the other side, thus becoming negative, 7 minus 3 equals 4, get it?"

He stared blankly at her.

She sighed. This would be a long two hours and thirty minutes.

-

Yumi collapsed on her bed, exasperated.

"How was it?" Aelita grinned.

"Horrible." Yumi answered, trying not to relive the memory. "Ulrich is the most retarded guy I've ever met."

"But he's hot."

"He's retarded."

"So? He's still hot."

Yumi shook her head at Aelita, and punched the "ON" button on the radio. "Maneater" by Nelly Furtado came on.

Aelita giggled, giving Yumi a sly look. Yumi scowled, pulling her legs close to her chest. She leaned against her homemade pillow. She and Hiroki had made pillows together a few years back. Her mother had sewn the soft nighttime cover, and they, as little, delighted kids, grabbed bunches of cotton and stuffed it inside, shrieking with happiness.

She envied that time so much. Listening to the song, she clutched her pillow, letting out a shuddering breath.

Yumi shut her eyes tightly. Why did these songs have to be so filthy? So dirty? This was the root of all perverted guys. She enjoyed listening to the songs, but still.

Why?

-

Ulrich banged his head onto his desk repeatedly. He felt utterly stupid. She was so smart, he was so… blah.

He understood it now, with Yumi's patience. And of course, the aftermath when her patience ran out- her threatening to chop his head off if he didn't try to understand it. She looked absolutely vicious, so Ulrich took her word for it.

His head throbbing painfully, he crept into his bed, getting ready to sleep when the phone rang.

"Yo Ulrich!" a masculine, playful voice came over the phone.

"Hey Theo." Ulrich answered dully. His cousin just HAD to call him when he was about to fall asleep.

"Wazzup? How are the ladiesss?"

"Well, I've been trying to get this pretty Japanese girl, and she's… refusing me."

"My rule, when against one who refuses, play them until they want you."

Ulrich let out a long breath. "Okay. Theo, I'm sort of tired of this though."

"What do you mean you're TIRED of this?! Isn't it at all fun?"

"No, I'm tired of being something I'm not."

Ulrich could already feel his cousin rolling his eyes. "Pshh, yeah right."

"I'm serious."

"Fine, whatever. You'll get used to it."

"If you say so.. I'm gonna go to sleep, so I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah, bye."

Ulrich hung up, but he wasn't tired anymore. He went to his laptop, and opened it lazily. He signed on Instant Messenger, and found Yumi online. They had exchanged screen names while they were working on the Science project.

**Ihateschool1010: **heyyy babe.

Time to use Theo's advice, he supposed. Nothing better to do.  
**  
dyingdreams2562: **… hi.  
**Ihateschool1010: **wazzup?  
**dyingdreams2562: **wasting my life away typing to you.

Ulrich grinned a little at her dryness. Wow, that made him feel _so _special..

**Ihateschool1010: **youre using ur time good  
**dyingdreams2562: **… It's well. Using your time WELL.  
**Ihateschool1010: **Uh, yeah sure watever.  
**dyingdreams2562: **have I ever told you your screen name is very creative?  
**Ihateschool1010: **no. but thanks 4 for the compliment.  
**dyingdreams2562: **It was sarcasm, genius.  
**Ihateschool1010: **Thx again  
**dyingdreams2562: **… ughh, forget it..  
**Ihateschool1010: **Right. Anyway, wanna go out with me?  
**dyingdreams2562: **LOLLL!  
**dyingdreams2562: **HAHAHAHAHA no.  
**Ihateschool1010: **what??  
**dyingdreams2562: **in case you haven't noticed you're mentally retarded.  
**Ihateschool1010: **uh, no Odd is.  
**dyingdreams2562: **… Fine.  
**dyingdreams2562: **But I'm still not going w/ you  
**Ihateschool1010: **y, cuz u can't resist my amazingly good looks?  
**Ihateschool1010: **just afraid of rejection from THE Ulrich stern?  
**dyingdreams2562: **uh, yeah, that's why.  
**Ihateschool1010: **really?  
**dyingdreams2562: **NO!

**dyingdreams2562 has just signed off.**

Ulrich sat back in his chair and ran his hand through his hair.

Okay, so his skills were getting very, very rusty. Either that or she wanted him.

He grinned. He picked the second one.

-  
**...Wow. So OOC. I already finished the next chapter, so... expect it... ...  
sometime.**

And reassured, the chapter after the next chapter will be better.  
But TLOTRAF is.. pure OOCness.

Either way, please review :)

--jenn


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six  
It's FDCALW**

**By Jenn.**

A/N;; I'm so sorry, I seriously forgot all about this. So at 10 PM I had a random jolt and remembered about it. I remembered this like a week ago, but... yeah, then I forgot. haha.

So, I should have posted it a month and a half ago. I'm sorry x.x But! I have half a chapter already in storage, so yay! Drama and HORMONES are taking over my life. But I still love writing :)

Please read and review. If you want to see the next chapter faster I suggest strongly you review.  
-  
  
Yumi growled as she signed off. "That baka."

Aelita patted Yumi's back. "I wish I knew what it was like to have a hot six-pack guy to want me."

"Yeah, I wish you did too." Yumi nodded. "Just add the obnoxious and stupid in that description, and then I'll wish you did."

Aelita sighed. "Yumi…"

Yumi fell onto her bed, sighing. "There's only one good thing about tomorrow."

"Hm, what?"

"I signed up for cross-country like two weeks ago, remember? It's finally going to start." Yumi kicked her legs into the air and let them slide back down with a loud thump as they hit her bed.

"Oh, yeah.." Aelita scratched her head. "I guess I forgot. I remember telling myself when you left you should sign up for cross-country. Guess you did."

"Yeah," murmured Yumi with a grin. "I can't wait!"

Mm, there were way too many surprises in store for Yumi Ishiyama.

-

"What-what?" Yumi choked out. "What are the HELL are you doing here?!"

Yumi fumed, a rain cloud over her head. This was HER place. HER activity. It was HER thing, HER hobby. IT WAS HERS! And he just had to come marching down, raining on her parade.

Running was her outlet for freedom. And now, she felt as if that outlet was blocked from the inside out.

"Hi to you too, Yumi." Ulrich smiled, but instantly transformed it into a sinister smirk, as if remembering something, or having a personality transplant.

Yumi ignored him, turning her back to him. Her shoulder-length pin-straight jet-black hair lay on her shoulders as if already placed there before.

She glared at the floor, but let her look soften. He probably liked running too. There was nothing wrong with that. She shouldn't get upset.

She smirked. Besides, it was always nice to beat someone at something.

"Okay everyone!!" Jim called out. "STRETCH!!"

Everyone stared blankly back at him, the room becoming silent.

Jim stared back at each of them. "What are you waiting for? Stretch!"

A cricket bounced to the room next to Jim, chirping annoyingly. Jim stomped on it with his big fat shoe.

Everyone screamed as Jim lifted his foot up to examine the green guts all over his shoe. He wiped it on the floor and shrugged. "Someone come to the front and lead the stretches!!"

Silence.

"Fine!" his small, squinty eyes scanned the room, landing finally on Ulrich Stern. "STERN! It's your lucky day!" he shouted clumsily.

Ulrich rolled his eyes and walked to the middle of the gym, not caring.

"Lead the stretches!" Jim ordered.

"Touch your toes." Ulrich sighed monotonously.

The audience touched their toes.

"You're done, let's go!" Ulrich shouted, sprinting out of the gym at such a fast pace, Yumi began to doubt she would beat him at running.

Jim gaped after him. "What the- what the crap!"

The students knocked him over as they ran to the backyard of the school.

Jim raised from his stricken position and jogged slowly outside. "Okay!" he panted, "Run when I say go!"

Ulrich ran ahead.

Jim was silent as he watched Ulrich's long legs zoom past him. Soon after, Yumi's long, skinny model-like legs ran a second after Ulrich's, matching his pace after only a few moments. She wasn't going to let him beat her at all.

The students looked nervously between the fast pair and Jim.

Jim was again, deathly silent. Then he screamed.

"WHAT THE CRAP, ULRICH STERN! WHAT THE CRAP!!!" he threw the clipboard he'd been holding down to the floor and jumped on the grass in a mad manner.

The students tried to maintain their laughter.

Jim sighed. "Just go, everyone." He started the timer and sat down on the grass, shaking his head.

Then, as a parting, he yelled, "ONCE YOU'VE DONE FIVE LAPS, COME HERE AND I'LL TELL YOU YOUR TIME!!"

Yumi and Ulrich ran ahead of everyone else, not feeling a bit tired.

"Why'd you decide to join cross country?" Yumi questioned.

"Because I wanted to be with you," Ulrich shrugged. "And besides, running is easy."

To emphasize the point, he raced ahead of Yumi easily, only a few beads of sweat running off his face. Yumi glared at him, and concentrating her energy, ran besides him once more.

"You don't really like me THAT much." She panted. "I'm just another toy to you."

Ulrich stared ahead. "If I didn't want you, then I wouldn't be running at this slow pace."

"Slow??" Yumi gaped. "Everyone else is far, far behind us."

"You want to see fast?" Ulrich stared at her.

Yumi huffed, then nodded.

Ulrich's legs seemed to spark, and he started across so fast, it was like he was in hyper speed.

Yumi gaped. He was now too ahead of her for her to say anything.

If she could have, she would have asked why he wanted so bad to get her. He was beating himself against a dead rock. And he knew it.

Did he really want her so bad just for games? Any regular flirt would have given up by now, and moved on to Sissy, the slut of the school.

Yumi let a small smile slide across her face, not bothering to wipe it off.

Hm..

-

Ulrich slowed down a little bit, now only jogging. He glanced behind him. Everyone was basically.. gone. No one was behind him.

He scanned the entire field and found Yumi jogging easily as well. Their eyes met, and Ulrich almost shivered from the intensity of it.

A sly smile slid across her face and she shifted her gaze.

Ulrich moved his eyes to what was in front of him, but continued to look at her from the corner of his eye.

He jogged so slow, he almost stopped. He wanted her to catch up to him, and he halted there for a few more moments, but she never came.

He looked over his shoulder, and out of the corner of his eye, saw something absolutely irritating.

Yumi and William.  
-

**A.N: Eh well. There's very little descriptions here. And when I was looking over it, I was like, ahh what the heck. If I add descriptions, it'll just ruin it furthermore. So I'm leaving it there.**

**Use your imagination; I know you have one!**

**Please review!  
--jenn  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**FDCALW;;  
Chapter Seven**

**A/N: Heh heh. Guess what. I was bored so I remembered how I wrote half of this chapter in January and decided to finish it xD It's not too long either.. I'm sorry, but even so, I'm sure you guys forgot about it.**

**I hope this has satisfied your fluff craving. Ish, anyway. I'm in the middle of a very exciting bet with my friend, and it's taking up a lot of my time. I'm beginning to make a good profit out of all this haha!**

**Please enjoy; read and review!  
**

**-  
**  
Ulrich looked at them out of the corner of his eye in disgust.

That **bastard. **Stealing his girl.

He bent down, pretending to tie his shoe until William and Yumi finally reached him. He stood up then with a fake smile.

"Hiii." He emphasized.

"Hey." Yumi glanced at him, confusion rising in her chest.

This could not be good.

"Hey man!" William grinned, obviously trying to get "in". He raised his hand for a high five, but lowered it hesitatingly as Ulrich responded with a blank glare.

"Hey." Ulrich's voice was short and dead.

He inwardly growled. "I just wanted to say hi to Yumi."

He glanced at her, before narrowing his eyes, and looking forward; his soft chocolate brown hair swaying in the gentle fall breeze. It was a look that he achieved effortlessly, but it still looked it belonged on an Abercrombie or Hollister shopping bag. Yumi pondered this for awhile as she looked at his fiery amber eyes that seemed to rage within. She was, unfortunately, cut short of staring when the same pair of amber eyes turned to stare at her.

"But, I guess I take it back." He gave her a killer, gorgeous smile, but his eyes said otherwise.

He sped up his long legs, and raced after them. With each leap and step his legs took, the more adrenaline he felt. The wind pushing against his face, the pounding of his sneakers in his ears, the beat of his heart bursting out of chest like fire.

Only a few drops of sweat ran down his forehead. He wiped them away quickly, and ran past a couple of slow, giggling girls. They cheered him on, which only encouraged him to run even faster, causing the drops of sweat racing faster down his neck.

The adrenaline piled up in his heart as he already neared Yumi and William. The pounding of his heart got louder as he pushed himself against William, sending him soaring to the ground.

"Sorry!" Ulrich called out sincerely, but not without a small smirk.

The pride wore off as he saw Yumi hug William and tend to what was supposedly a bruise on his leg. He growled under his breath as he continued to watch them. She extended a hand and pulled him up.

He tore his eyes off of her and looked straight ahead, determined to finish off all his laps in record time.

Which, indefinitely, would not be a problem.

He concentrated on his running this time, listening to his head pound, and heard his heart synchronize to the beat.

His heart continued to thump rhythmically, and he focused on it instead of the constant pain building up into his right leg.

Running faster, Ulrich continued to ignore the pain that was beginning to clutch at his chest painfully. He didn't notice as he passed Yumi, who was laughing with William. He looked over his shoulder at Yumi, and felt an undeniable rage; a rage so bad he had forgotten about his surroundings, and he did a 360 as he toppled over the fence.

Breathing hard, he heard students babbling distantly; the voices coming closer and closer. He closed his eyes, too tired now to stand up.

He felt a head pressed against his chest. "I-I think he's breathing!"

Yumi's voice.

His eyes popped open and he immediately sat up straight, with Yumi's head still on his chest. Her eyes widened, as he tenderly took a finger to tilt her chin up, and in one fast, fluid motion, placed his lips on hers.

Her mind screamed for her to pull away. She tried. Her hands rested upon his shoulders. She ordered her hands to push herself off of him. Instead, her hands began to wrap luxuriously around his neck, and she pressed herself against him.

How she hated hormones.

Apparently, her heart had different thoughts. It seemed that her heart was controlling her actions, not her brain.

Scary.

Ulrich, though he was shocked, continued to take advantage of the personality transplant that Yumi apparently had. He savored Yumi's scent- a rush of cherry blossoms, and varieties that smelled like spice, and oh-so-exotic.

A roar took over their hearts, and the simple kiss had turned electrifying. The roar resounded across their ears, like an ocean about to bear down, beginning to wash everything away: feelings and emotions. And as that ocean tumbled down, everything broke apart.

Namely, their lives.

They pulled apart; almost flew apart, breathing hard. Ulrich stared at Yumi. That feeling. What was it? It- it… he had never felt anything like it.

"W-woah…" Ulrich mumbled, rubbing his temple.

Yumi, also panting, stared at the grass, holding herself up with her arms. Then she seemed to consult the blue sky before meeting the eyes of Ulrich Stern.

Their eyes held for an expressive moment before it was torn down from the irrelevant holler of Jim.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO -beep- DOING ON SCHOOL PROPERTY!!" he screamed.

"... Making out." Ulrich answered bluntly.

Jim moaned and collapsed onto the grass, his head landing on an ant hill.

"EW, HE KILLED AN ENTIRE ANT CIVILIZATION!" a girl shrieked, "AND THEY'RE GOING ON HIS HEAD AS REVENGE!"

Everyone screamed and ran away as Jim yawned, and rolled over, beginning to snore.

Yumi and Ulrich deadpanned, and stared as everyone fled, and then at Jim sleeping on a couple scores (groups of 20) of ants.

"Uh.. about that. I'm sorry," Yumi apologized feverishly, looking down. "I don't know what came over me."

"Hormones?" Ulrich tilted his head to the side, gazing at her with a light smile. "Why should you be sorry? I was the one that kissed you."

"Yeah," Yumi shrugged, also beginning to smile. "It was my first kiss ever."

Ulrich's eyes widened. "But you're gorgeous!"

She blushed, and turned her head away from him, her dark, shiny hair glistening in the sunlight. Ulrich smiled, and reached out with his hand, turning her head back to him.

"Guess I'll just have to make me your second kiss too," he flashed an adorable smile at her, leaning in.

She laughed as their lips touched. She'd enjoy it while the moment lasted.

In a few hours, she knew she'd be smacking herself for kissing a thing like Ulrich Stern.

-

**A/N: Hm, well, I hope you enjoyed it! I wanted to post a chapter of something before it turned into 2 months of no updating. Wow, I updated in the beginning of February?! I thought it was a lot longer that that! heh heh.**

**Anyway, math awaits! Watching the movie 300 this weekend. After watching a bunch of cut-up heads, I'm sure I won't be able to write any fluff for awhile anyway.. Ah, I'm going to get so freaked outt. Man, I hate rated R movies. I wouldn't watch it if my friend didn't bribe me with a bunch of cash..**

**Please review! Thanks!**

**--Jenn**


	8. Chapter 8

**Flirting Doesn't Come A Long Way  
By Jenn**

**Chapter Eight**

**A/N: I WROTE THIS DARN THING 4 TIMES. FOUR TIMES AND IT NEVER SAVED. NEVERRR. AKLJFDKLJSL:DKF. So I am now diligently working on this for the FIFTH time, and if Word doesn't save it, I'm going to seriously like. Idk, kick something D:**

**Writing this was… torture. Absolute torture. Give me some credit D:**

**Here is the long-awaited chapter of FDCALW. Let's make the best of it. Please review!  
**

* * *

It's been a long week, Ulrich mused to himself, tapping his pencil onto the desk. He stared at the old, wooden desk. There were several carvings with random doodles on it: hearts, initials, profanities… He smirked, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

The whole week Yumi had ignored him, refusing to tutor him or answer the phone. Every little glance he sent her direction, she averted her gaze, and slipped into the crowd, more elusive than ever before.

He heaved a sigh, then reluctantly pulled his gaze off the "CHAD&BRITNEY4EVR" and shoved his mind back onto the math test he was taking. Ah, algebra… how disgustingly annoying. He tediously worked out the problem. Move the x there, coefficient, roots, exponents. He rolled his eyes. Quickly, Ulrich scribbled out the answers of the problems after calculating them in his mind. They weren't that hard. Once you actually thought about it, anyway.

He dropped his pencil back into his back jeans pocket and sauntered to the teacher's desk. He released the paper from his hand and it daintily landed on top of the desk. The students watched, in a trance as if Ulrich was the next Brad Pitt, as Ulrich coolly strolled out of the room.

He kicked the door closed behind him and stuffed his cold hands into his jean pockets as he began to stride down the hallway.

The hallway's shine and luster was long gone, and covered up with muddy footprints and gum. Lots and lots of gum mixed together to create a muddled collage of colors.

Ulrich walked along, and it seemed to take forever until he spotted a dark-haired girl sitting in the front row, diligently taking notes and nodding intelligently.

What bull. Everyone knows you only nod intelligently when the teacher looks at you and you have nothing else to say.

He composed his "I'm-really-a-good-student" face and opened the door. The teacher turned around abruptly, staring at him through slanted eyes.

"Ah. Ulrich Stern, what a surprise." She smiled coldly.

He didn't bother asking how the hell she knew his name since he never had her. He grinned inwardly. He probably was a hot topic in the teacher's lounge.

"Ahem, my teacher wants to see Ms. Ishiyama." 

She glanced at Yumi, a cold smile still adherent to her face, but her eyes flickering with amusement. "OK, be back in five minutes, Ms. Ishiyama. You have many a notes to copy about Napoleon."

For the first time, Ulrich's eyes averted to Yumi. Their eyes met, and he grinned at her headstrong-yet-terrified expression. Her hard eyes stared back at him as she stood up and nodded at her teacher.

Once they reached out the door, Ulrich paused for a minute before asking, "Dynamite?"

"… What?"

"Napoleon Dynamite?"

She cracked a hint of a smile. "Napoleon the First."

"… Who?" He blinked.

She bent her head, hiding the small smile on her face, and crossed her arms. "Ulrich, what do you want?"

"Why you've bee avoiding me. I want the reason." He answered bluntly. His hair fell in front of his face as he peered at her.

A look of fear passed over Yumi's features for a split second. But once Ulrich blinked, it was gone and her confident demeanor returned.

"I don't like you."

The answer was so plain, it sent a jolt through his nerves and a shock through his system. "What do you mean?" He asked dumbly.

"I mean, I don't like you." She answered again defiantly, and hugged herself. She shook her head multiple times, as if she was shaking away a thought.

He walked up to her until he was right in front of her. Yumi didn't dare look up at him. She didn't dare look him in the eyes.

She felt hands on her shoulders and being pushed lightly into the lockers. Her gaze remained to the floor, but his eyes were burning through her head. She cautiously raised her eyes to find his green eyes staring at her hungrily.

And all too soon, she felt his lips smash into hers, a sweet, salty taste that sent a shock through her now still, stiff body. As he quickly parted her lips, she felt disappointment run through her. Her eyes were still partly closed, her lips reaching, her lips suddenly feeling rather cold without his warmth.

She snapped her eyes open to look at him, smirking and looking as cocky as ever. The delight was over; the rage was back.

He was taking advantage of her.

"For the record, I don't like you either, Ms. Ishiyama." With that, he turned on his heel and stalked away, his strides long and self-assured.

It was even worse than she thought. He was mocking her.

When she was sure he wouldn't see, she licked her lips, and let the sweet taste melt into her tongue before turning around, with a new resolve.

One thing Ulrich Stern didn't know was that Yumi Ishiyama always got the last word.

Always.

* * *

"Ooh… I hate him! He's an arrogant, conceited, smug, snobby, flamboyant… bastard! Yes!" Yumi fumed, squeezing her pillow to her chest.

"Aw Yumi, it's fine." Aelita put a supportive arm around Yumi's shoulders, and Yumi dropped her head on Aelita's shoulder, trying to calm herself down.

"It's not!" Yum seethed. "He's taking advantage of me… He thinks he's so great..."

"And he is." Aelita interrupted, her eyes twinkling.

"He's not!" Yumi snapped her head back up, her eyes narrowed as she stared at the wall. "I have to… get back at him. I need the last word." She turned her head to Aelita. "I need to."

Aelita gazed uneasily into Yumi's determined eyes. This was probably not the right idea…

But what had to be done had to be done.

"OK." Aelita let out a sigh, and Yumi smiled.

Aelita grinned back happily. "So, what I'm thinking right now is…"

* * *

"Aelita, I'm sorry, but I can't do this." Yumi grabbed her hair, as Aelita quickly hurried to catch up to her best friend.

"Oh Yumi, please. It'll be fine." Aelita rolled her eyes.

"Your idea is so old school. And you always say it's fine! But you know it won't be!" Yumi snapped her head round to glare at her friend.

"Well, I got it out of a movie, OK?" Aelita defended herself. "And no, I know you'll do great! I always thought you'd be a wonderful actress."

"Oh, please!" Yumi whacked her friend on the back of the head as she strolled to her usual table and remained standing as Aelita sat down. She squinted her eyes and began to scan the cafeteria.

"Ah, found him." Yumi looked down at Aelita and scowled. "With his little groupies."

As she continued looking, she saw Ulrich stare at her and whisper to one of his friends as Sissy flipped her hair back, and began to skip to go buy her lunch, flaunting her low-cut cami and miniskirt to her full advantage. Yumi gazed as Sissy turned round and winked at Ulrich flirtatiously.

Bitch.

Her gaze averted to Ulrich who had whistled at Sissy.

Her temper flared and she felt her face grow hot with temptation to run over and smack him.

"OK, Aelita, I'm ready."

"… I thought we were going to eat lunch first!" Aelita complained, looking down at the handmade sushi she had forced Yumi to make for her. "I really want to eat!"

Yumi rolled her eyes. "You don't have to do anything. I'm the one to sacrifice my lunch."

"But I thought maybe you could take it easy before…" Aelita began. Yumi gave her a fierce look, and Aelita shrunk back.

"OK, fine, fine… So much for making myself be concerned for you." Aelita mumbled. She handed Yumi the paper bag from her backpack.

Yumi smiled. "And I'm grateful to have you as a friend, 'lita. It's just that I have to take care of this…"

Yumi sauntered to Ulrich's table, collecting a few stares on the way. There were whispers and hushes as she approached Ulrich. Their table immediately stopped all their chatter and looked at her impatiently.

"Hi Ulrich." Yumi smiled sickeningly. "May I perhaps talk to you in a corner?"

Ulrich laughed nervously while glancing back at his friends as if to say, "No way I know who this freak girl is."

"I'm sorry, but I'm kind of busy." Ulrich flicked her off, gaining a few appreciative laughs from his friends.

"What do you mean 'busy'?!" Yumi growled under her breath, and felt her voice rise with every word she spoke. "You can't embarrass me in front of the school, then take me out of class and kiss me without any fucking explanation!!"

"I never did any of those things, and you know it. We both know the kiss during gym was just a prank, it was a total accident."

Ulrich glanced up at Yumi, who was growing frantically angry.

Uh-oh.

"Who do you think you are? Who do you fucking think you are? You think you're king? You think you're God? Do you? Do you!?" Yumi screamed. "You can't play women like that! You knew I never had feelings for you! You knew it, but you took me for a joke! I try to tutor you, but you just… you…"

The whole cafeteria was silent as they listened to this strange, goth girl scream at the most popular boy at school.

"Ulrich, why is this loser at our table?" Sissy glanced around in total confusion.

Ulrich didn't seem to notice. He only laughed again. "You're deranged."

Yumi glowered. "I'm sorry for ever trusting you in any way. I'm sorry to think that maybe someday you could crack out of your good-for-nothing, sorry shell. But now I know it's impossible. You'll always be a bastard, won't you?"

"Ulrich!" Sissy whined, pressing herself to Ulrich. "What is she doing here?" She pointed an accusing finger at Yumi.

Yumi smiled icily, and quickly dumped her soggy paper bag on Ulrich's head, which popped as it made direct contact. A moldy, old tuna sandwich splattered all over his head, and Sissy shrieked as she jumped away from Ulrich.

Yumi leaned in and kissed Ulrich's lips. "And for the last time, in case you forget, I don't like you, Ulrich Stern."

She glanced behind her and saw Aelita waiting only a few feet away. She smiled at her best friend, and Aelita gave her a high-five, grinning widely.

As the two girls walked away, the cafeteria burst into laughter and cheers.

"That Yumi Ishiyama always gets the last word, doesn't she?"

* * *

AN: I'm so sorry. It's been a year. But I really tried the past few days to make this satisfying. Well, ish anyway haha. And the lunch plan was inspired by izzy, and Yumi was probably OOC and there's probably a million things wrong. But the important thing is, at least I updated and it's sufficient. :D Hope it did not disappoint.

PLEASE REVIEW! This took a lot of suffering, probably more than you can imagine.  
**  
I expect to update soon, but only depending on the amount of interest currently on this story. **(which can be determined by reviews)

Thank you for being so loyal and faithful! I love you all!

-Jenn


	9. Chapter 9

**FDCALW  
Chapter Nine, OHYEAH.**

**Written by Jenn.**

**This chapter is dedicated to ****Unt0uChAbLe****, whom I made a deal with so we could both finish our chapters. (: (P.S. Whoooo, I won! Haha)  
**

**A/N: School is out, ahhh. It's always terribly sad when one has to leave their school. After hysterical crying, I think we'll all be okay. It's definitely surreal, but summer is here, and it's time to write.**

**And the characters may seem OOC. But hey, I haven't watched CL in well over a year. And I think that just makes the story seem more interesting. Hehe.**

**I had to get this chapter out before I went to China for the summer, since I won't be able to bring my computer with me. (That reminds me, ANGELforSHOW, I'LL JOIN YOU IN ASIA SOON. I can't wait! I love you, Izzy!)**

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

**  
**"Aelita! Question: Bug spray or hairspray?" Yumi holds up two cans for Aelita to survey.

Aelita places her finger to her lips and answers wisely, "Hairspray."

Yumi tosses the hairspray to Aelita and rolls her eyes. "In the outdoors, your hair won't look perfect from all the heat anyway, Aelita. Nor will you have any electricity for appliances to make your hair perfect."

Aelita rolls her eyes at her best friend, "So? Hairspray is essential."

"Even if it's damaging to the ozone layer."

"Excuse me! Pesticides damage the underground water supply! You won't have any clean water to drink after killing all those bugs, missy!"

"Touché."

"What does that mean anyway?"

"I have no idea."

The two girls giggle as they make their way towards the cash register. It's been a few weeks since the lunch incident, and life has slowly crept back into normalcy. Whatever normalcy was, anyway.

Ulrich hadn't talked to Yumi much, which bothered her, especially when they were at their weekly tutoring sessions. Not that she'd ever admit it.

He'd been talking to a girl named Emily a lot lately- which did nothing to ease Yumi's annoyance. Again, not that she'd ever admit it to anyone but Aelita.

Otherwise, all was fine. The school had decided to go on a camping trip to the great outdoors- though it was becoming slightly cold. Still, the school insisted that the outdoors would be beautiful this time of year, and it'd be a wonderful scientific opportunity to study nature.

And so, they were all going.

That is, going to buy the essentials every girl needed to have a good trip in a place where there would be no electrical outlets in sight.

"So, right now we have pesticides of every kind, hairsprays of every kind, shampoos, conditioners, batteries, ointments, make up, floss, a million rolls of toilet paper, candy, eyeliner, mascara, foundation, lip gloss, and… nasal spray?" Yumi puts down her overfilling basket on the floor and looks pointedly at Aelita. "Are we missing anything? And why exactly do we need a lot of makeup and nasal spray?"

"Okay, one: no, we probably aren't. Two: Make up is an essential. Three: Nasal spray for whenever we get a stuffy nose. Allergies get worked up even in winter, you know."

Yumi rolls her eyes but complies. "Whatever you say."

She dumps her load of stuff onto the counter. The clerk sighs and begins to shift through their things and begins to ring everything up.

"Yumi, I've been meaning to ask you –"

"Anything but Ulrich."

Aelita raises her eyebrows. "What, are you a mind reader now too?"

"No, but I'm tired of talking about him! He annoys me so much! He always has that clingy girl, Sissy, on his arm, and he walks like he owns the world-"

Aelita interrupts, "Yumi, you're talking about him now."

Yumi flushes a bit and shoves the cash into the clerk's hand. She grabs the plastic bag with all their purchases and walks swiftly away without even taking the receipt.

Aelita sighs and accepts the receipt the clerk thrusts at her. She leans in and tells the clerk confidentially, "She's PMS-ing right now. Don't mind her."

Yumi's glare burns into the back of her head, and Aelita turns around. She cheerfully waves to her best friend and skips to the exit where the seething girl was waiting with clenched fists.

* * *

"Ulrich…"

"Mm…"

"Ulrich…!"

"… Huh?"

"Ulrich, do you mind if I sit here?" A thin girl with pin-straight black hair stood next to him and he looked up at her from where he was sitting. Her signature red headband was placed exactly where it was everyday, and her hoop earrings were so big a mouse could probably jump through it. Her see-through shirt was so thin that her black bra could be seen clearly underneath, and even the hooks in the back were on prominent display. Her chest threatened to pop out of her shirt, and rivaled Pamela Anderson's.

In other words, she was the principal's daughter, she always got what she wanted, she was a slut, and she knew it.

"Oh, of course not. Just sit where you usually sit, Sissy." Ulrich gestures to the seat across from him.

Sissy smiles sweetly and plops her books down on the acclaimed seat. Ulrich picks up his fork and, with head propped on his arm, plays with the spaghetti on his plate.

He glances at her, just as she begins to lean across the table to him. The low cut shirt showed off her hefty cleavage (that was rumored to have had plastic surgery), and he seemed to be under a spell as his eyes refused to look anywhere else but her chest.

She lowers her head and captures his lips, pries his mouth open and promptly inserts her tongue into his mouth. He didn't object, and soon enough, the entire cafeteria could hear the loud suction coming from that one table in the center of the room.

Ulrich pops one eye open and scans the cafeteria. And there, he spotted her. The tall, black-haired girl that stood poised, with a pink-haired girl. Staring at him.

He takes the opportunity and aggressively grabs Sissy from her petite waist and pushs her onto his lap. She straddles him and pushes her body against him as he slowly makes his way up her shirt.

From across the room, Yumi sits down on a seat, disgusted. "That bastard can't even see through what that whore really is."

Aelita raises her eyebrows. "Actually, he CAN see through her, which is probably why they're practically having sex in the middle of the cafeteria."

"Whatever, it's not like it matters. She can have his child for all I care." Yumi rolls her eyes and opens her bento box.

"Yumi, do you still like him? I bet he still likes you too." Aelita said through a mouthful of meatballs and spaghetti.

"Of course I don't like him!" Yumi retorts angrily. "I would never even – "

"Aelita! Hey!" A mess of blonde hair sweeps in and presses his lips against Aelita's. She giggles and pulls his neck down for another round.

"Ahem, Aelita." Yumi sighs, and slams her head down into the table.

Aelita abruptly breaks the kiss and beckons for her boyfriend to sit down. "Sorry, Jer, but Yumi's PMS-ing."

"I can't believe you're telling that to everyone! I'm not! I'm just stressed." Yumi moans.

"Hey, who's having her time of month?" Sam plops down onto the seat next to Yumi, her purple highlights re-dyed and more vibrant than ever. She wore a ¾-sleeves black tee, and a short, ripped denim miniskirt. She completed the look with knee-length red-and-black socks, and black high-top Converses.

"No one, Sam." Yumi's voice comes out muffled, her head still buried in her arms. Sam was still Odd's crush, but Yumi and Sam had become pretty good friends since then.

"Does it have anything to do with Ulrich and Sissy?" Jeremie glances at the jock table, where Ulrich and Sissy were currently sitting. His glasses were perched on his head (he didn't make out with his glasses on. He claimed they got too foggy) A collared shirt was under his one of his signature sweater vests, and today, he wore jeans instead of his usual dress pants.

"No." Yumi raised her head a bit to give Jeremie a dark glare. "I'm just tired, that's all."

"Well, Mr. Delmas is yelling the crap out of Ulrich. You know, not like you care." Jeremie shrugged his shoulders.

Yumi turned her head and witnessed Sissy trying to defend Ulrich. All she could make out was: "Daddy! Don't blame Ulrich! You always tell me that I'm a beautiful princess! You can't blame him if he finds me irresistible!"

"Bitch." Sam rolls her eyes.

"Tell me about it. And I just remembered I have to tutor Ulrich this afternoon. As if this day wasn't bad enough." Yumi moans.

"Hey, at least there's a bed involved."

* * *

"Algebra… Exam #1…" Yumi blinks as she holds the paper in her hand. "Hey, you got a perfect score! I thought you were having a hard time with this."

"Nah." Ulrich props his head on his hand. "It's easy."

"Well… what do you need me for then?" Yumi crosses her arms. "You just did great on your last exam, and the rest of Algebra is basically the same thing over and over again."

"Hey, you want the money right? And I want a good time." Ulrich raises his eyebrow suggestively.

Yumi laughs disbelievingly. "Are you serious? You just practically had sex with Sissy in the cafeteria, and you ask me for a _good time_?" She pauses. "Not that I'd ever give you a good time anyway."

Ulrich scoots closer to her and whispers into her ear, "Are you sure about that?"

His warm breath lingers on her face; she lets out a shuddering breath and says quietly, "Yes."

He leans forward, and she edges closer to his desk. He places his arm next to her head onto the desk's shelf to balance himself. He was so close, Yumi could feel his breath on her cheek. His deep amber eyes burns into her own; she didn't even dare breathe.

She was gorgeous. Her jet-black hair lay a little past her shoulders, and framed her face nicely. Today, she had curled it at the end, and the result had been stunning. She wore a plain gray-and-white tank top, paired with skinny jeans. She had taken off her Converses at the door, and now stood barefoot. He had never seen anyone more beautiful than she was.

He searched her face, as if looking for something he couldn't find. Yumi's breath caught in her throat until she couldn't take the suspense any longer.

She quickly wraps her arms around his neck and presses her body against his. Her lips smash into his, savoring the sweet taste. Their tongues battle, each side trying to win.

It was an intense passion war, and they aggressively let out every frustration they had the past few weeks.

Ulrich grabbed Yumi's hips and he maneuvered her clumsily to the bed. They fell, still tangled up in each other. She lay on the bed, still grasping him tightly, gasping for breath.

He kisses her from her forehead to her collarbone, and she straddles him, bringing him closer to her than he was before. He undoes a few buttons, and then proceeds to kiss her face.

A sharp knock comes at the door.

Ulrich and Yumi spring apart. Yumi kicks Ulrich to the floor, and she bolts up. She quickly fixes her hair, trying to smooth out the tangles.

"Hey Ulrich!" Odd shouts, "Open up! I've got diiinnneerrrr!"

Yumi stares at Ulrich with wide eyes. He stared back at her, transfixed with how pretty she looked, just… standing there.

"What do we do now?" she hisses.

"I… I don't know." Ulrich crawls back to her, and brings her down with him. He buries his face into her silky hair.

"ULRICH!! HELLO, I'M KIND OF HUNGRY HERE!!" Odd screams, pounding on the door furiously.

"Your hair smells good," He murmurs, as Yumi tries to fight him off her. She flushes, and with a final push, she stands up and brushes herself off.

He gazes at her retreating form, as she opens the door and lets Odd in, who was pounding on the door and yelling at the top of his lungs.

Odd blinks at her, then looks behind her to find Ulrich sitting on the ground in a daze. His eyes then travel to the messy bed, and his eyes finally snap back to her. "Wow, Yumi. What'd you guys do in here?" He raises his eyebrow.

Yumi growls, "We didn't do anything."

She storms past him, and breaks into a run as she turns the corner of the hallway.

Odd whistles, "Nice one, Ulrich. You really nailed that one."

Ulrich cocks his head to the side, and looks directly at Odd. "Yeah. I did."

* * *

" I can't believe I let him do that to me!" Yumi paces around the room, her eyebrows knitted together in anger. Aelita and Sam sat on a bed, patiently listening to her rant. "I mean, he just completely took advantage of me! He just… with Sissy in the cafeteria and then, he just… with me…"

"Yumi, calm down." Sam spoke up, playing with the bangles on her wrist. "He's a player. That's what players do."

That comment did nothing to ease Yumi's anger. Yumi begins to pace around faster and wring her hands so hard that they slowly became red.

"Sam!" Aelita berates. "Yumi, he was probably just using Sissy to make you jealous. Have you ever thought of that?"

Yumi stops pacing and stares at the ceiling. "No," She turns her head to look at Aelita. "I don't like him anyway. I just got caught up in the heat of the moment."

Aelita and Sam turn to each other and roll their eyes.

"She's in denial," Sam declares.

"Agreed," Aelita nods. She turns back to Yumi. "Look, you both obviously have feelings for each other. And he definitely likes you."

Yumi throws her hands up in the air. "I admit he's hot and all, but… I can't like a guy just because we're both physically attracted to each other! He doesn't care for me at all. He doesn't care for who I am on the inside, or my personality!"

Aelita and Sam stay silent.

"Maybe you should let him know who you are on the inside?" Sam suggests. "We're going to the camping trip in a week! You guys can get cozy. I mean, it's getting really cold outside." Sam grins.

"Yeah! That's a brilliant idea!" Aelita turns to high five Sam.

Yumi shakes her head at her friends, and plops down on her bed. "No, I'm done."

"Done?" Aelita asks, perplexed. She props her chin on her hand and beckons Yumi to continue with her other hand.

"I'm finished with Ulrich Stern." Yumi raises her head to look at the both of them.

Sam spoke up for the both of them. "What do you mean, 'finished'?"

"It means, I'm not going to let him ruin my life. From now on, I'm going to avoid him at all costs. I'm not going to let him take advantage of me any longer."

* * *

**A/N: Okay, now I'm getting more exciting about FDCALW hehe. Credit goes to ****Unt0uChAbLe, for helping with the camping idea.**

**If anybody has any ideas for the upcoming chapters, please don't hesitate to tell me!**

**If I get a lot of reviews, slash interest for me to continue this story, then I will try to update in a week or so! So please review!**

**Thank you so much!**

**-jenn**


	10. Chapter 10

**FDCALW;  
Chapter 10 (Aren't you proud of me? :D)**

**By Jenn.**

**A/N: Still on the "contest" with Unt0uchable hehe- which is the reason I updated so fast ahh. Fastest update in like 2 years, no joke. (You won this time, but round 3 won't be as easy! Mwahaha)**

**Enjoy!**

**--**

With only two days left until the camping trip, everyone was rushing to buy last-minute supplies for the one-week outing.

After a lot of complaints and begs, Principal Delmas finally canceled all classes for the day- courtesy of Sissy Delmas.

So, 99 of the student body was gone. However, one person sat alone in her bedroom, folding a hundred paper stars per minute.

"Stupid Aelita," Yumi muttered, tossing the newly-made paper star onto her roommate's bed. There was now a small mountain of colorful stars on Aelita's bed.

"Ah, sorry Yumi, I forgot to buy some makeup last week!" Aelita had said, her mouth twitching. She was never good at lies.

Before Yumi had even opened her mouth to answer, Aelita had run off and was lost in the multitude of Kadic students rushing to the stores.

Thus, Yumi was left alone in the deserted boarding school.

She sighed, and sat upright. She was so bored; she wanted to cry so that she at least had something to do.

She stood up, and put on her boots and her jacket. She ran a hand through her silky hair. She had grown it so that it was now to the middle of her back. She swept her bangs out of her eyes, grabbed her iPod, and walked out of the room.

--

Ulrich groaned. He was aching from all the high school drama that occurred the past week. Yumi not speaking to him- again. And it kind of hurt right in the center of his chest.

Where his heart presumably would be- but he had no heart.

Ha-ha, just kidding…

He had given Odd a list of the essentials he had to buy, since he himself was not going to town. He rolled his eyes as an image of Odd appeared in his mind exclaiming, "Why do you need 5 deodorants and shaving creams?!"

Well, obviously he needed a lot of deodorant. He was bound to sweat in the outdoors, even if it was going to be cold. Or else he'd have really bad B.O. and the girls would-

… Okay, off the subject.

Maybe he just needed some fresh air. He bent down and lifted his jacket from the floor. He slid it on, put his cell phone, iPod, and keys into his jacket pocket, and walked out of the room.

--

Yumi stuffed her hands into her coat pockets and watched as her breath evaporated into the sky. She looked skyward. It looked as if it might snow.

She grinned slightly. It'd be fun to walk through the snow back to school. She'd missed tasting the snowflakes on her tongue.

She trudged through the park. The park was more like a huge garden. There were rows and rows of flowers and trees. The trees were now bare of flowers; naked branches raised to the heavens.

The flowers on the ground were going to be gone pretty soon too. Yumi bent down and plucked a flower off from its stem. It was pink, with black stripes running down the petals. Lilacs, she thought they were called.

She twirled it around her fingers and leaned in to smell the lovely scent. It momentarily cleared her mind from all the problems she had: Ulrich, school …

She kept the flower in her hand and continued walking down the path, fleetingly forgetting everything else. She just wanted to keep walking down this maze until she finally ended up someplace.

It would feel good to end up somewhere, she mused, especially since her life evidently had no ending.

--

Ulrich ventured out of the building, looking left and right until he decided to walk to the right. He tugged the iPod out of his pocket: it was a nano- a sleek, spotless black nano iPod. Not one scratch was on the iPod.

OK, so there was one scratch, but it was really small. Most days, he didn't even notice it.

… Most days.

Anyway, he walked along the sidewalk, plugging in his earphones. He pressed Shuffle and Simple Plan's 'Welcome to My Life' blasted into his ears. He closed his eyes briefly and smiled into the cold wind.

His iPod knew him well.

He strolled a few blocks until he stopped at a park. Full of trees and flowers; it reminded him of the place where he grew up. Filled with homeliness, he entered the friendly place.

Ulrich sat down on a park bench nearby, and rested his body on it. He lay down, put his hands behind his head, and closed his eyes, listening to the song's lyrics.

_Are you desperate to find something more? Before your life is over …_

He felt someone's breath on his cheek. He sprang up, and almost knocked down the girl leaning over him. As his vision began to come into focus, a pretty girl stood in front of him, comfortably dressed in a hoodie, shorts, and sensible shoes. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail, and she wore dark-framed, rectangular glasses.

She looked oddly familiar.

"Hi, Ulrich." She flushed and looked away. "Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb-"

"You go to my school, right?" He interrupted.

"Oh, uh, yeah. I'm Emily." She smiled nervously. "I'm really sorry, again. I just…"

"It's okay." Ulrich shrugged. "I'm kind of lonely anyway." He pulled the earphones out of his ears and turned off his iPod. He moved over a bit and gestured to the space next to him.

Her cheeks turned pink again as she hurriedly sat down next to him. Or maybe it was just from the cold.

Emily was the first to speak up. "So um, what are you doing here?" She asked.

"Oh, just kind of bored. Came out here to clear my mind a bit, you know? Get some alone time."

"Alone… time." Emily stared off into a distance for awhile. "From what?"

"Problems." He shrugged.

"Oh. I see." Emily nodded reasonably.

There was a comfortable silence until Emily gathered her courage to ask: "Is it about Sissy?"

He whipped his head around to stare at her in astonishment. "Sissy?"

"Yeah. She's been running around telling anyone that would listen that your heart was broken after she broke up with you. That's why you wouldn't talk to her."

Ulrich chortled. "Are you serious? We were never together in the first place."

"But last week, the cafeteria…"

"Oh, that?" Ulrich rolled his eyes. "I suppose it was some fun. But… it was nothing. It meant nothing. I was just frustrated, I think." He stopped talking for a few seconds, as if considering what he was going to say. "It was just a ploy to make someone jealous."

"Oh? Do tell." Emily turned to Ulrich, brought her knees to her chest and rested her head on it.

He debated this. Was he really going to pour his heart out to a girl that was in his school- but one he had just met? He looked at her. She seemed trustworthy. But looks deceive.

In the end, he just threw it all away. He couldn't keep all his problems in his head forever.

"Well, this girl, Yumi… she's amazing. I think I fell for her -"

--

Yumi tugged her pea coat closer to her body, her long, wavy hair blowing in the wind. Her earphones provided comfort and she felt her body slowly begin to relax after being tense for so long.

She stopped in the middle of the park. There was a magnificent water fountain. It was grand, with 5 levels. The top of the fountain had something that looked like Cupid. It held an arrow, and its mouth was open. Normally, water would spew out of its mouth. But since it was winter, it had probably been turned off.

She sighed, and sat down on the edge of the water fountain. It had rained earlier, and water had pooled in the water fountain, not yet evaporated. She dipped her hand into the water, liking the feel of the cold on her fingertips.

Yumi laid her head back, until it rested on one of the water fountain's layers.

Finally relaxed, she pressed the play button on one of her favorite songs: Falling into History by Avril Lavigne.

_"I'll be all right by myself.  
And no one's gonna tell me I'm defined  
Confined by love…"_

--

"Oh, so now she's not talking to you?" Emily nodded her head, resting her chin on her knees. She gazed at him with probing eyes.

"Yeah," He looked away. "I'm not really sure why though…"

"Are you serious?" Emily shook her head in disappointment. "She's angry that you made out with Sissy. And she's confused that you don't really like her. And that you're just using her as a toy."

He stared at her incredulously. "I'm not using her for a toy! I like her," He was silent for a bit. "When I'm with her, I feel… I feel like…" He trailed off. "I can't describe it. But whenever I see her, I feel like I want to be with her forever. Like I never want to leave her. It's this-"

"It's like an amazing feeling, right?" Emily finished, looking into a distance, wondering. She turned to him, grinning. "And everyone thought you were more the player type. Don't you usually get, like, five girls at once?"

Ulrich sat there, thinking. "I guess. But… I want Yumi. And I'm not playing this time." He looked at her seriously. "I'm not even sure why I like her so much. But she's so different. She has this magnetic quality that just pulls me to her. She's beautiful and witty and…" He closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

"Indescribable?" Emily finished, cocking her head to the side.

"Yeah." He lifted his head and looked at her. "How do you know me so well?"

"I feel that way sometimes too." She shrugged her shoulders. "This guy… he's like my best friend but sometimes…"

"Hey, what's that?" Ulrich asked, puzzled. "I hear something." They sat, silent, trying to find out what it was.

A voice. An angelic voice, singing.

Ulrich stood up. "Come on," He beckoned for her to follow, and she did.

They crept behind a shrub and saw Yumi, lying down on the ledge of the water fountain, singing.

"Ha-ha, I feel like we're in Sleeping Beauty." Ulrich grinned.

Emily giggled softly. "Well, are you going to talk to her?"

He smiled. "Yeah. Thanks."

Emily smiled back at him and quietly tiptoed away.

Ulrich stuffed his hands in his pockets and called to her, "Yumi!"

She didn't hear him, and continued singing.

Trying not to frighten her, he stepped in front of her. "Yumi." He said a bit louder.

She looked up, and her eyes widened. He sat down next to her. As her brain slowly began to register who he was, she sprang up, her eyes still wide.

He took her hand softly. He gazed into her eyes and she stood, rigid. The pose looked as if he was going to ask her to marry him.

"Yumi," He said again, his look probing. "Please, just talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about, Ulrich." Her tone wasn't cold, but it wasn't friendly. It was monotonous.

He thought he heard a trace of sadness and regret in her voice. But before he could question it or even make her talk to him, she slowly slid her hand out of his tender grasp, and took off without another word.

--

Good thing Ulrich was a fast runner. He wasn't going to let her go this time.

Too bad she was a fast runner too. Cross country had made them both extremely fast. After all, they were the two best runners in their school. But even so, he was still faster.

Her hair streamed behind her as she ran. She tried pulling it back, but failed. Her long legs were so fast they were almost a blur. Though she was tall, he admired how petite she still was.

After a minute or so, he caught up to her. He panted as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her body to his.

"Yumi…" He whispered into her ear. Her hair had a sweet scent, and he buried his face into her hair.

She would never admit it, but she loved how he said his name. He said it quietly, but with an urging want, with tenderness.

"Ulrich, get off." She said just as quietly, but made no motion to get him off of her.

"No, Yumi." He strengthened his hold on her, like a barrier from the wind. She was instantly warm in his embrace. She couldn't see his face, since he was behind her, but she felt him smile against her hair.

"I like you. A lot." He murmured. Her breath caught in her throat as she listened to his heartfelt words.

Yumi stayed silent.

"More than I've ever liked anybody." He confessed, bringing her closer to him than before. He liked the feel of her soft, delicate body against his. "That kiss with Sissy meant nothing. I was just frustrated with myself. I want you so much. I-I've never felt this way before, so I'm not really sure how to say how I feel, but-"

Yumi wanted so desperately to hug him. But she couldn't. She couldn't believe him. Not just yet.

She broke out of his embrace, and immediately shivered without his warmth. "Ulrich, I can't do this. I don't like you. You don't like me. You don't know who I am."

Ulrich blinked, confused. "But Yumi…"

"I'm sorry, Ulrich. But life would be better for both of us if you just stayed away from me." Yumi looked at him one last time, and his forlorn expression threw her off guard. She wanted to throw her arms around him and cry.

But she didn't. The walls around her went up, and no one was to break in. She was a cold-blooded being, and it was going to stay that way. Nothing was going to get in, and nothing was going to get out.

Without looking back, she ran away from him at the speed of light, trying to hold back tears that were threatening to roll down her cheeks.

And this time, he didn't run after her.

--

**A/N: OH SNAP. :D Many thanks to Miho Mania, who helped me with the ending by helping me keep Yumi in character. Heh.**

**PLEASE REVIEW. I hope you liked it!**

**And, I hate summer homework. Ughhh. And my writing's been so rusty lately. I can never seem to find the phrases, the words I want to write down. It's so frustrating.**

Sorry if it isn't up to standards. ):  


**-jenn  
**


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